New Website SEO Checklist 2026 (Free Template — Launch-Ready Foundation)
Complete SEO checklist for launching a new website. Covers domain and hosting, Google and Bing setup, site structure, technical foundation, on-page essentials, and schema markup. Free download for Excel and Google Sheets.
A new website SEO checklist covers 6 areas: domain and hosting (clean domain, HTTPS, fast hosting with TTFB under 500ms), Google and Bing setup (GSC, GA4, sitemap submission to both Google and Bing — Bing is required for ChatGPT visibility), site structure (logical URL hierarchy, breadcrumbs, custom 404), technical foundation (robots.txt with AI crawlers allowed, canonical tags, mobile-responsive, Core Web Vitals, HTML-first content), on-page essentials (unique title tags, meta descriptions, H1s, alt text), and schema markup (Organization, BreadcrumbList, Article, FAQ). Run a CrawlRaven audit before launch to catch issues before Googlebot does. Download the free template for Excel and Google Sheets.
Getting SEO right before launch is 10x easier than fixing it after. This checklist ensures your new site launches with a solid foundation. Run a CrawlRaven audit on staging to catch issues before Googlebot does. Try CrawlRaven free for 14 days →
Key takeaways
- 35+ checks across 6 areas: domain/hosting, Google/Bing setup, site structure, technical foundation, on-page, schema
- Free download in Excel (.xlsx) and Google Sheets
- Submit sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools from day one — most new sites miss this and lose ChatGPT visibility
- Configure robots.txt with AI crawlers before launch — getting this right from the start is easier than fixing later
- Run a CrawlRaven audit before launch to catch issues before Googlebot does
Download the New Website SEO Checklist
35+ checks to ensure your new site launches with a solid SEO foundation. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
Checklist Preview — Sample Data
Why SEO setup matters before launch
The first weeks after a website launches are critical. Google and Bing crawl new sites aggressively at first, and the signals they pick up during this initial crawl shape how your site is understood. Getting the SEO foundation right before launch is significantly easier than fixing it after — especially for crawl configuration, URL structure, and indexation setup.
Most new websites make the same mistakes: they skip Bing submission (losing ChatGPT visibility), launch with a default robots.txt that blocks AI crawlers, choose a URL structure they'll regret later, and don't implement schema markup until months after launch.
1. Domain & hosting
- Clean domain: Check the domain's history on Wayback Machine and Ahrefs. A domain previously used for spam can carry penalties that are nearly impossible to recover from
- HTTPS from day one: Don't launch on HTTP and switch later — start with HTTPS. It's a confirmed ranking signal and avoids the complexity of an HTTP→HTTPS migration
- Fast hosting: Target TTFB (Time to First Byte) under 500ms. Your hosting provider is the speed floor — no amount of optimization can fix slow hosting
- Preferred domain: Choose www or non-www and 301 redirect the other version. This prevents duplicate content issues from day one
2. Google & Bing setup
Set up both search engines before launch so indexing begins immediately.
- Google Search Console: Set up and verify ownership. This is your primary tool for understanding how Google sees your site
- GA4: Install tracking before launch so you have data from day one. Don't wait — you can't retroactively collect analytics data
- Sitemap to GSC: Submit your XML sitemap so Google knows about all your pages
- Bing Webmaster Tools: This is the step most new sites skip — and it's critical. ChatGPT uses Bing as its search layer. No Bing indexation = no ChatGPT visibility. Takes 10 minutes to set up
- Google Business Profile: If you're a local business, set this up before launch for local search and Maps visibility
3. Site structure
- URL structure: Plan your URL hierarchy before building pages. Short, keyword-rich, logical hierarchy. Changing URLs later requires redirects and risks traffic loss
- Navigation: Create a clear, logical navigation hierarchy. Users and crawlers should understand your site structure from the nav
- Breadcrumbs: Implement breadcrumb navigation with BreadcrumbList schema
- Custom 404: Create a helpful 404 page with links to your main sections. The default 404 is a dead end
4. Technical foundation
- robots.txt: Configure to allow all important crawlers — including AI search bots (OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot, PerplexityBot). Getting this right from launch avoids the common mistake of accidentally blocking AI crawlers
- Canonical tags: Add self-referencing canonical tags to every page from the start
- Mobile-responsive: Google uses mobile-first indexing. Your site must work perfectly on mobile devices
- Core Web Vitals: Optimize LCP, INP, CLS, and FCP before launch. It's much harder to fix performance issues after you've added content and tracking scripts
- HTML-first content: Ensure critical content is in the initial HTML response. 46% of AI bot visits use reading mode (no JavaScript). If your content is JS-rendered only, AI crawlers may not see it
5. On-page essentials
- Title tags: Write unique title tags for every page before launch. Include primary keywords
- Meta descriptions: Write unique, compelling meta descriptions for every page
- H1 tags: One per page with primary keyword
- Image optimization: Compress all images to WebP, add descriptive alt text, implement lazy loading
- Open Graph: Set OG tags for social sharing — this determines how your pages look when shared
6. Schema & launch readiness
- Organization schema: Add to your homepage with your company name, logo, and social profiles
- Article schema: Set up on your blog template so every post gets proper schema automatically
- FAQ schema: Plan to add this to pages with FAQ sections — it boosts AI citation rates
- Pre-launch audit: Run a CrawlRaven 200-point audit on your staging site before going live. Catch broken links, missing tags, speed issues, and crawl errors before Googlebot does
Get the New Website SEO Checklist
Download the checklist and use it for your launch. Or run a CrawlRaven audit on staging to catch issues before going live.
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
What SEO should I set up before launching a new website?
Before launch: choose a clean domain with no spam history, set up HTTPS, configure robots.txt (including AI crawlers), create an XML sitemap, set up Google Search Console and GA4, submit your sitemap to both Google and Bing Webmaster Tools (Bing is required for ChatGPT visibility), implement self-referencing canonical tags, and run a CrawlRaven audit on staging to catch issues before Googlebot does.
Why do I need Bing Webmaster Tools for a new website?
ChatGPT uses Bing as its search layer. If your site isn't indexed on Bing, you're invisible to ChatGPT's 900 million weekly users. Most new website checklists skip this step. Setting up Bing Webmaster Tools takes 10 minutes and is the single highest-ROI action for ChatGPT visibility on a new site.
What is the most important technical SEO for a new site?
The most critical technical setup for a new site: HTTPS from day one, robots.txt allowing search engine and AI crawlers, XML sitemap submitted to GSC and Bing, self-referencing canonical tags on every page, mobile-responsive design, and Core Web Vitals optimization (LCP under 2.0s, FCP under 0.4s). Getting these right before launch avoids costly fixes later.
Should I implement schema markup before launching?
Yes — implementing schema at launch is much easier than retrofitting it later. At minimum, add Organization schema to your homepage, BreadcrumbList for navigation, and Article schema on your blog template. If you plan to have FAQ sections, set up FAQ schema from the start — it boosts both Google rich results and AI citation rates by approximately 30%.
15+ years of growing SaaS websites through SEO | Author, 200-Point Audit Checklist
Aditi has spent 15+ years helping SaaS companies scale organic traffic through technical SEO and content strategy. She is the author of the CrawlRaven 200-Point Audit checklist used by agencies and in-house teams to systematically improve search performance.